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The GoJersey Scandal
The "GoJersey Scandal" is the name given to one of the most controversial scandals in recent NCAA history. This scandal tied into colleges and students all across the NCAA, led to a large number of suspensions of the individuals involved, and also helped to shape the current landscape of the BFL as it is known today. The NCAA prior to this, had never seen the illegal sale of their memorabilia on such a large scale. This led to much debate as to how to punish those involved. The decision was ultimately made to suspend all students involved, fire all staff that were aware of the situation, and permanently shut down the site involved. But without this scandal, the BFL may never have acquired a good portion of their current top players. Just as well, the scandal exposed a huge issue within the NCAA pertaining the athletes themselves. What It Is... The GoJersey Scandal is the name given to one of the NCAA's most controversial scandals of the last 50 years. On December 31st of 2017, an anonymous report reached the desk of administrators of the NCAA front office, revealing suspected activity by a handful of NCAA coaches and players regarding illegal jersey sales online. Not long after the new year began, the NCAA quietly launched an investigation into the matter by keeping an eye on the site, while slowly compiling evidence to be used later. By the time training camps were set to begin on the NCAA Calendar, the league had already compiled a vast amount of evidence of the site's illegal activity. By the time Week 1 began, the league was forced to begin investigating the player's involvement in the scandal. Unfortunately it was discovered that a large number of notable college players had been directly involved or were aware of the situation. Upon completion of their list of students and players responsible, the NCAA made the situation public, and began handing out strict punishments to those perceived to be guilty. Notable players affected include New York Flyers RB James Vargas, Virginia Beach Devils DE Marcus Campbell and Seattle Thunderbirds QB Chase Flynn. These players, among many others, received suspensions for their actions. In the case of Vargas and Campbell, they lost out on their entire senior campaign. Several coaches, including coaches at Auburn, Georgia Tech, Duke, and Oklahoma State were suspended for the entirety of the season as well. The site was officially placed on hiatus on September 27th, 2018. It was shut down entirely just two weeks later. What It Did... The GoJersey Scandal aftermath was felt by many people, most notably the athletes punished for being involved. The scandal blacklisted many players, and ruined the reputations of others. For example, prior to their scandal-caused suspensions, DE Marcus Campbell, RB James Vargas, DB Andre O' Neal and WR Ian Fleetwood were all considered Top 5 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Vargas and Campbell were reportedly removed for almost every team draft board in the NFL following news of their season long suspensions. Both went undrafted by the NFL and ended up signing 1-2 year rookie deals with teams in the BFL. A big fallout from their previously debated Top 5 pick statuses from months prior. DB Andre O' Neal reportedly had plans to forego his senior season and declare for the NFL Draft. But after being blacklisted himself following a six-game suspension involving the scandal, O' Neal suddenly found himself with all of his pre-suspension hype gone. He served the suspension, came back and played average for the remainder of his junior year. With many coaches and scouts ultimately sour on him, he decided to return for his senior season. After struggling through the first half of the season, he ended the season on the bench as a rotational safety. The former "top pick" opted not to declare for the NFL Draft at all, and signed a rookie deal with the BFL's Bay Area franchise. Despite his age, many experts had Georgia Tech QB Chase Flynn as a potential first round selection. Following a three game suspension related to the scandal, Georgia Tech's young signal caller found himself also benched. Flynn was drafted with the second to last pick in the NFL Draft to the Washington Redskins. He rejected his rookie deal, and left the league altogether for "greener" pastures down in the BFL, signing a two year deal with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Despite the negative press the scandal generated, league owner Jim Tading revealed in an exclusive CBS Sports Network interview in 2020 that the scandal "probably helped the BFL in the long term." He later clarified that while he didn't condone the actions of those involved, he "wasn't unhappy with the amount of young talent the scandal provided the BFL." It can be argued that while controversial, the GoJersey Scandal may have actually been a positive for the BFL. It was around this time that the league saw a significant spike in it's popularity due to the emergence of truly phenomenal talents emerging within the league. A good portion of these talents, ironically enough, were blacklisted college players aiming to prove the scandal didn't define them.